Rookie police officer brought a giant 8in SNAIL with him to work… to calm his nerves (but it died)
- New recruit was permitted to bring ‘Sid’ the snail into work in a ventilated box
- Some fellow officers were not impressed and privately objected to the snail
- Another officer was allowed to wear a blanket on her head to help with anxiety
- Former Met DCI slammed both, saying there was no place for it in the force
A new police recruit was granted permission to take an 8in snail to work in order to help calm his nerves – but it has since died.
The snail, nicknamed Sid by colleagues, was kept inside a ventilated cardboard box at Birmingham’s Bournville police station.
Some of the recruit’s fellow officers were reportedly not impressed and privately objected but no official complaint was made.
Former Met Police DCI Peter Kirkham, 61, was outraged when he heard about the snail, saying that there is ‘no place for pet snails in police stations’, The Mirror reports.
It is believed that West Midlands Police did not receive a complaint because officers were prepped with an unofficial ‘wellness’ policy that was put in place in an attempt to make sure recruits got through their training.
It is believed that some officers were not impressed with the snail but no formal complaint was lodged. (File image)
The rookie officer has since left the force alongside Sid who has since died.
In the latest revelations coming out of the force, sources also revealed that a female officer was permitted to cover her head with a blanked at her desk as a coping mechanism for her anxiety.
‘Many officers are appalled by what has become accepted. In my opinion, the calibre of new recruits is not what it once was and these coping strategies are being allowed to compensate for that,’ a source said.
‘Policing is a tough job. This kind of mollycoddling doesn’t help to make good officers.’
The giant 8in snail was kept in a ventilated cardboard box at Bournville police station (pictured) to help a new recruit calm his nerves
DCI Kirkham also suggested that blankets do not belong in a police station unless they are being used for a prisoner in a cell.
He added that ‘policing is not for everyone’. ‘We don’t want to go back to the dark ages, but we need to get the balance right between caring for officers and recruiting officers capable of doing the job. That doesn’t appear to be the case here,’ he said.
Former Met Police DCI Peter Kirkham (pictured) said there was ‘no place for pet snails in police stations’
But following on from the pandemic, a survey of 12,471 rank and file officers by the Police Federation of England and Walesfound that more than three quarters admitted to having experienced mental health or wellbeing difficulties in 2021.
Last year Bournville Police advertised for an ‘assistant director of fairness and belonging’ and an ‘assistant director of talent and organisational effectiveness’- both had salaries of around £74,000.
And Chief Constable Sir David Thompson stood up for his recruits, saying that his officers face ‘one of the busies, most challenging areas of the country’.
He added that the reality of policing can be ‘daunting for some’ which could lead them to resigning before their training comes to an end.
In Bournville, there have been 2,881 acts of crime in the last 12 months – with the highest percentage – 38.1 per cent – being violent and sexual offences.
West Midlands Police could not verify claims made about Sid the snail.
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